Happy 45th Birthday, Megyn Kelly: 12 Times the Fox News Host Was Just Not Having It

Host of The Kelly File is turning 45 today, so what better time to focus on the times she was at the top of her game

Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, into politics or you never touch the stuff, a fierce moment is a fierce moment and Megyn Kelly has had a countless number of them during her years on TV.

The foxy Fox News host, who celebrates her 45th birthday today, continues to be the poster woman for having the courage of your convictions, and that in itself is a pretty great example for women everywhere, wherever you fall on the political spectrum.

One of Kelly's defining traits, the one that's won her fans and foes on both sides of the aisle, is her determination not to suffer fools—be it a fool-by-consensus or someone whom she particularly feels is spouting nonsense.

Or make that trying to spout nonsense, because once Kelly gets a whiff of some sort of nonsense afoot...watch out. Even as she's listening, you can see the gleam in her eye as she bides her time before the pounce.

And as she's packed in more experience under her belt, having ascended to hosting her own show, The Kelly File, last year, she's increasingly less likely to hold back on calling it as she sees it. As if she ever did that in the first place.

Here are 12 times that birthday girl Megyn Kelly was just not having it:

Let's start with one of her more recent triumphs, her pointed questioning of Donald Trump during the first GOP primary debate about his record of bashing women's appearances, a grilling that prompted Trump to cry foul on Kelly and Fox News.

Kelly doesn't shy away from turning that fierceness on a Fox News regular. When columnist and frequent Fox contributor Kirsten Powers tried to defend the Justice Department's dismissal of a case in which members of the New Black Panther Party were accused of voter intimidation... Let's just say, five years later, we still feel for Powers in this moment. (They've remained friendly colleagues, so obviously Kirsten knew that it wasn't personal—she was just the latest in the hot seat.)

She ripped radio host Mike Gallagher a new one after he called her three months of maternity leave "a racket." The utter disbelief in her eyes regarding his stupidity is something to behold.

Count Kelly among those who was not a fan of the very idea of the MTV documentary White Privilege.

The tension was knife-cut thick when Kelly took on the representative of a Muslim group that claimed to support activist and author (and noted ex-Muslim) Ayaan Hirsi Ali's right to free speech but also criticized Yale for inviting Ali to speak.

Kelly's not a fan of the "President Obama's a Muslim" or "well, Obama could be a Muslim" conspiracy theorists.

Especially when Donald Trump is involved.

Here's a perfect example of that "check your facts, sir" expression.

Kelly apologetically finds the idea of cryogenics hilarious.

The calmly cool facade cracked when the mother of three teared up, as so many of us did, in response to images of children who died as their families tried to flee the war in Syria and the terror of Islamic State.

Kelly put on her badass walking heels to refute Karl Rove's insistence that maybe Mitt Romney had won Ohio during the 2012 election. He did not. But Kelly took the walk just to make sure.

Oh, Hillary Clinton and her emails. That whole thing...